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Each track on Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl is packed with hints and references to people and moments from her life.
Taylor Swift has released her 12th studio album. (Photo Credits: X)
Hollywood Taylor Swift has released her 12th studio album.Swift has officially released her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, and fans were so excited that Spotify reportedly crashed as everyone rushed to listen to it. The album, written and produced by Swift along with hitmakers Max Martin and Shellback, was created during her Eras Tour.
Each track is packed with hints and references to people and moments from her life. Within hours of its release, fans began scrutinising the lyrics for hidden meanings and Easter eggs. Let’s decode the tracks and explore who, or what, inspired these songs.
The Fate of Ophelia – It’s the lead single of the album, a love song that seems to hint at Taylor Swift’s romance with Travis Kelce. The title refers to Ophelia from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, a character who falls in love, becomes very sad and eventually dies by drowning. Swift uses this story to tell her own emotional tale. The music is soft and smooth, but still easy to enjoy.
Elizabeth Taylor – This track is inspired by the Hollywood actress known for her glamorous career and dramatic love life with Richard Burton. In the song, Swift asks the icon for love advice, singing, “Elizabeth Taylor / Do you think it’s forever? / Tell me for real / Do you think it’s forever?” In the song, she also mentions “that view of Portofino,” referring to the Italian village where Burton proposed to Taylor in 1964. She also mentions calling at the Plaza Athenee, a well-known hotel in Paris, where the couple once stayed.
Opalite – Taylor Swift sings about feeling “sleepless in the onyx night” and meeting someone special she has never met before. In the song, the singer talks about facing tough times, dealing with challenges, and finding your own joy. She added that happiness doesn’t just happen by chance; you have to face challenges and choose to focus on the good things in life to feel happy.
Father Figure – The song may be referring to George Michael’s famous song, but Swift gives it her own twist. She sings, “I was your father figure / You pulled the wrong trigger / This empire belongs to me.” Though Swift hasn’t confirmed, many fans believe the song refers to her former mentor Scott Borchetta, CEO of Big Machine Records, who sold the label to Scooter Braun in 2019, handing him control of her first six albums.
Eldest Daughter – Taylor Swift sings about finding a kind of love she didn’t think she would ever have. Through the lyrics, she refers to her own relationship with Travis Kelce, as Swift wrote the track from the perspective of an older daughter and Kelce as a younger child. She sings, “When I said I don’t believe in marriage that was a lie / Every eldest daughter was the first lamb to the slaughter / Every youngest child felt they were raised up in the wild / But now you’re home.”
Ruin The Friendship – This song is an emotional ballad where Swift sings about love that wasn’t returned. She tells the story of a high school crush that ended tragically. While she hasn’t confirmed who inspired the song, fans think it might be about her late high school friend, Jeffrey Lang, who passed away in 2010.
Actually Romantic – This track is believed to be a diss aimed at British singer Charli XCX. In the lyrics, Taylor Swift sings about someone calling her a “boring Barbie” and high-fiving her ex, noting they were happy he ghosted her. Charli is married to George Daniel, the drummer of The 1975, while Swift previously dated the band’s singer, Matty Healy. The song explores the realisation of being in a one-sided, tense relationship that went unnoticed at the time.
Wish List – The song hints at Taylor Swift’s desire to trade her fame for a simple life with Travis Kelce. In the lyrics, she sings about wanting to “have a couple of kids” and wants the world to leave them “alone.”
Wood – It’s an emotional love song, where Swift sings about finding a life partner. She talks about going through challenges, saying it feels like a “curse being broken” by his “magic wand.” The song also references Travis Kelce’s podcast, New Heights, with lyrics like, “New Heights (New Heights) of manhood (Manhood) / I ain’t gotta knock on wood.”
CANCELLED – In this track, Taylor Swift shares her own experiences dealing with public criticism and being involved in scandalous moments in her career. It can be speculated that the song might also refer to Blake Lively, who is facing backlash for her legal issues with Justin Baldoni, while Swift is showing support for her friend.
Honey – It’s another song, where Swift sings for her future husband, Travis Kelce. She sings, “You can call me honey if you want because I’m the one you want.” The singer explained that the song is about how words that once hurt you can feel completely different when said by someone who loves you.
The Life of a Showgirl is Taylor Swift’s first album since The Tortured Poets Department in 2024, which she announced while accepting a Midnights award at the 2024 Grammys.
Kashvi Raj Singh is a Sub Editor at News18. She extensively covers Bollywood, Hollywood and television. She not only keeps an eye out for interesting news angles but also often writes social commentary in long-…Read More
Kashvi Raj Singh is a Sub Editor at News18. She extensively covers Bollywood, Hollywood and television. She not only keeps an eye out for interesting news angles but also often writes social commentary in long-… Read More
October 04, 2025, 11:56 IST
